Well- a change of heart has led me to a new super blackhawk instead of a blackhawk hunter. I decided I wanted the challenge of open sight handgun hunting instead of a scope. Anyway- purchased the new blackhawk this morning and went to my range on my back 40 to break it in. Using my handloads of 21.5 grains of H110 and Hornady 240XTP's, I was shooting groups that were consistently 6-8 inches high at 50 yards. I dropped the rear sight down to bottom- this dropped the groups from 10 inches to current 6 inches. A friend who shoots a Freedom Arms 454 shot the same 6 inches high also. He thinks I should go up a grain in powder to flatten the trajectory. I have done up 12 rounds at 22.5 and will be heading out tomorrow to check them out. Anybody out there with other thoughts?? Factory loads also shot high- both loads shot high at 100 also.
(didn't have a crony set up)

Make sure that you check your load data well, and cross-reference. When I shot a lot of .44 Mag, I remember that I put 23.0 of H110 under a 240 grain bullet. OW!!! THAT WAS VERY UNPLEASANT. It is true that moving the bullet faster will lower the trajectory. But, using a lighter bullet--say, a 200 or 220 grain--will also flatten the trajectory with less recoil.

I don't have my manual in front of me, but it seems that you might be getting very close to the max for that weight of bullet. Be careful.

------------------
Happiness is a 200 yard bughole.

You may have to to shorten the rear sight if your already bottomed out.
I was using more than that much powder for 300 gr sierra JSP's in my 44. So I would think your still within tolerance.
I would still work up loads less than a grain at a time as every gun will have a different max load.
But a lighter faster bullet will hit lower.

Tried the new loads of 22.5 grains H110 w/240xtp- dropped group only about 2 inches. So it is still shooting about 5 inches high on average. I am going to call Ruger and see if they will send me a taller front sight. I will be loading up some 200 grain xtp's and giving them a try. According to my manuals- 23.5 is max load- and if I only gained 1-2 drop at 50 yards with step up in powder from 21.5 to 22.5 I don't feel I will gain enough by running max loads- and would prefer not to. How much sanding on the rear sight would be needed to make a difference? And- will it make a "visual" sight picture difference? I will check with Ruger- and load up some 200's- and run them through my crony to see what I get.
dr280

Looking at my ruger I dont think it would take very much to change the impact by removing some of the rear sight. I would maybe remove about 1/32" off the top of the sight and the same amount in the groove so the sight picture would not change. My sights are bottomed out and I could remove a little more than 1/16" if I had to.

I have just purchased a new Hornady manual- 5th edition.. It lists 24.8! grains of H110 as maximum compared to my Lee manual which lists max at 24. I am going to step up my charge to 23.5 grains and try that. This has all got me thinking if I really need the 240xtp compared to a 200 grainer. I only plan to hunt whitetails here in Michigan (so far) with this particular load, and plan to limit shots to 100 yards, what would a 240 grain bullet do that a 200 can't??? Proper shot placement is critical- but the 240 doesn't look like it offers that much more energy at 100 yards (55 foot pounds) than the 200. The 200 grainer is carrying 565 ftlbs at 100- enough to kill an elk- let alone a whitetail. Also, as a plus-- the 200 grain bullet will be kinder to my already bruised palm. I guess my first 100 rounds (in 3 days) have left a small token to remind me how much fun I am having. Anyone with 200 grain XTP experiences- good or bad- on whitetails? Thanks- dr280

A different grip might lessen the slippage in the hand. I sometimes use a glove and this lowers my point of impact by 2-3"
Fuzz

Depending on your barrel length, raising the front or lowering the rear by .10 inches will change the pt of impact by a little over a foot at 50 yards if you have a 7 1/2 inch barrel. Instead of maxing out the loads, unless you are comfortable with that method, I would raise the front sight by building it up and filing. No problem for a decent gunsmith. I had the same problem with my Freedom Arms .454, shooting .45 Colts in it, but for only $20 they will send you a replacement front sight.

[This message has been edited by Gatogordo (edited 01-03-2002).]

Your best bet is to call Ruger they should take care of it

I think Fuzz has the answer. The gun will start to recoil, and ride up in your hand BEFORE the slug leaves the barrel. If you change to a Pachmayr grip, you will find that your impact point will be at least 3-4 inches lower at that range. This is a great sight in for a deer hunting gun

------------------
Jay
"For God and Country"

Just call Ruger and ask for a taller front sight. I have a 5 1/2" .45 Blackhawk that shot too high and they sent me a new front sight for free.

Use this formula to determine how much higher the front sight needs to be.

(Sight radius X correction needed)/distance to target

All figures are in inches. For example, assume that with the rear sight all the way down you are still 4" high at 25 yards, and the distance between rear sight blade and top of front sight is 9". Note that 25 yards is 900 inches.

(9X4)/900 = 0.04" So your front sight would need to be .04" taller. Since you are already bottomed out in the rear sight, allow a bit of fudge factor and get one .05 or .06" taller.

Measure your current front sight from the base of the sight to the top - that is the measurement Ruger uses. Tell that to the Ruger rep and he/she will send the next taller sight.

My original sight was .345" tall. I only needed about .05" correction so I needed a sight .395". The next highest Ruger made was .445". I installed that and ground of .045" and it now shoots to point of aim with the rear sight about halfway up.

Oops - almost forgot - is your SBH stainless or blued? If stainless, the blued front sight is pinned on and easily replaceable. If blued you are slightly screwed as that sight is inegral with the base. In that case send the whole thing back to Ruger and ask them to install a higher front sight, specifying approximately how much higher you want. They might do this for free.

Thanks for the responses-
to answer some of the questions-
I do wear high quality leather gloves, I don't think slippage is a problem.
Th barrel is 71/2 inches and it is a Super Blackhawk- stainless. I have talked with a gunsmith and he thinks some extremely small sanding of the bottom of the rear sight is the best way to go. This is a minor job and would allow me a little more room to play with the rear sight adjustment. I just purchased a box of 200 grain xtp's today and plan to load and shoot on Saturday. I will post my findings as to the amount of change I get-before I do any sanding on the back sight. dr280

The results are in- 200 grain XTP with 27 grains of H110- right on at 50 yards...
100 yards is pretty close- just some minor tweaking and it'll be good. The biggest thing I noticed was the substantial amount of recoil difference. The Blackhawk has a pretty good bark now. I think this will be my load of choice for whitetails this year....jots lots of time to practice between no and then.
There are 2 seasons here in Michigan-
Deer season, and waiting for deer season!!!!